There is a great demand to be slimmer. Many people resort to the cosmetic surgical procedure known as liposuction, wherein excess adipose tissue, also known as fat, is suctioned from the body of a patient. The typical purpose of the liposuction procedure is to leave the patient thinner, with aesthetically more appealing body contours. For example, liposuction is often performed on patients to remove excess fat in the abdominal, buttock, thigh, breast and arm regions of the body.
Adipose tissue is made of adipocytes, or fat cells, which are enclosed membranes filled with globules of triglycerides. In normal fat the fat cells have regular contours and form into grapelike clusters. The intracellular fat is relatively fluid and, if the membrane is pierced, will flow out of the cell into the interstitial space. The interstitial space includes nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics and collagen fibers, among other substances.
Liposuction is performed by inserting a narrow tube, or cannula, through a tiny incision in the skin into the subcutaneous fatty tissue. The cannula is repeatedly pushed then pulled through the fat layer, separating and puncturing the fat cells and suctioning them out. Suction action through the cannula is provided by a vacuum pump or a large syringe. The procedure carries with it some risks and side effects. Due to the physical damage induced, the procedure can damage nerves, lymphatics and vasculature in the surrounding area, often resulting in significant loss of blood as the blood is vacuumed out with the fat and the formation of seroma due to damaged lymphatic channels. In addition, the post-procedure recovery period is long and often accompanied by a great deal of inflammation, bruising and concomitant pain.
Since the liposuction technique was first developed there have been many improvements to the technique, with the goal of making the surgery less dangerous for the patient, as well as reducing the negative aspects of the post-operative recovery period. For example, in the tumescent technique known in prior art, a saline solution containing very dilute amounts of at least an anesthetic and a vasoconstrictor is injected subcutaneously into the area to be suctioned. The anesthetic reduces operative and post-operative pain and the vasoconstrictor helps reduce blood loss. Cannulas have been improved by enabling the cannula to emit laser light and ultrasound energy directly onto the fat cells. This internal application of energy melts the cell wall, releasing the intracellular fat, thereby making the fatty tissue less viscous and more easily suctioned up through the narrow cannula. These procedures suffer the disadvantage of still having to physically stab the cannula repeatedly in the fat layer as well as essentially melting the adipose tissue, resulting in undesirable levels of bruising, inflammation, pain, blood loss, and seroma formation. Recovery time is significant.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,079, issued to one of the inventors of this method and incorporated herein, a less-destructive method is disclosed that uses low energy laser therapy in conjunction with suction of the fat cells. Low level laser therapy (LLLT) has been used increasingly in the treatment of a broad range of conditions such as treatment and repair of injured muscles and tendons. LLLT has improved wound healing, reduced edema, and relieved pain of various etiologies. LLLT has been used successfully post-operative to liposuction to reduce inflammation and pain. While a significant improvement over prior art, it is still invasive and carries with it the corresponding pain and risks.
Non-invasive methods of fat reduction are preferred over invasive methods to minimize trauma to the patient, reduce the risk of infection, and speed up recovery time, among other reasons. To that end, topical agents have long been known which claim to reduce cellulite or at least the appearance of cellulite. The effect of these agents on cellulite is somewhat dubious, and these agents are not known to actually reduce fat. Some of the topical agents are used in combination with massage or radiation of the affected areas.
To avoid invasive procedures, electromagnetic energy, such as microwave, ultrasound or radio frequency radiation, has also been used to reduce fat. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,790 issued to Weiss, a method is described in which a medicament is applied to a patient's skin where fat removal is desired and focused electromagnetic energy is applied to the same work site to heat the fatty tissue and increase fat lipolysis. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,063, Fellner takes this method even farther, applying sufficient electromagnetic radiation to destroy the fat cells. Yet another method is to inject an intumescing solution below the skin and apply electromagnetic energy externally to the body. These procedures are disadvantageous in that they utilize such high energy sources that they excessively heat the surrounding tissue, which can result in damage to the tissue and pain. Again, recovery time is significant.
Other external applications of certain types of destructive energy is known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,162 issued to Friedman, et al. discloses the superposition of ultrasound waves from two or more sources to create a wave having high intensity localized at the adipose tissue to be treated. With this method, fat cells are sonically disintegrated, allowing the body to dispose of the fat that has been freed. In addition to destruction of cells, another difficulty with this method is accurately obtaining the desired focal zone under the skin.
It is desirable to remove fat with less damage to the fatty tissue, less blood loss, less post-operative bruising, inflammation, and pain than existing methods. Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a non-invasive method of reducing fat. Another object is to provide a non-invasive method of reducing fat that does not destroy the fat cells, or damage surrounding tissue or structures. It is another object to eliminate the need for recovery time.